Political Quotes

“Mr. President, 100 years ago today, there was a horrible fire in the stockyards of Chicago. Most of us have our vision of that era and the stockyards from Upton Sinclair's book ``The Jungle,'' which told of the life of a Lithuanian immigrant family working in the stockyards. It was one of the busiest commercial ventures in the United States, and it literally fed the Nation. But it also engaged in practices acceptable at that time which would be unacceptable by today's standards of health and safety. That day of December 20, 1910, there was a fire. As a result of that fire, 100 years ago today, 21 firefighters lost their lives at the union stockyards in Chicago. Until the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11, no single disaster in the history of the United States had claimed the lives of more firefighters. Sadly, today, in a cruel irony of history, there has been another fire in Chicago. This morning we lost two firefighters who went out in the bitter cold and did their best to fight a fire. A wall collapsed on them, as it did 100 years ago. Two lost their lives, and 14 were seriously injured. It is a sad reminder to all of us who drive by firehouses and fire stations all the time and see the men and women who work there, that when they are called to duty, they can give their lives at a moment's notice. It happened this morning in Chicago. It happened 100 years ago in the same city. It can happen again.…”